Headline: ‘Job market looking bleak for ‘08’
Nothing like a lump of coal in your Christmas stocking when you’re planning to graduate this year. The Columbus Dispatch headline above appeared on December 26, 2007. You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.
The article states that 29 percent of Columbus employers plan to REDUCE the number of employees in 2008, 44 percent expect to maintain current staffing levels and the other 27 percent don’t know what they will do. Yikes. Nobody said they plan to hire in 2008.
So what do you do with an upcoming March or June graduation? Declare a second major? Apply to grad school? Go abroad for a year?
Nah. While the job market may appear to be unwelcoming now, you never know what the economy may bring. And, for better or worse, with a new president elected this year (hard to imagine worse), things can change mighty quickly!
So what should you really do? Start doing everything you can NOW so you can have a job already lined up or at least so you can hit the ground running the day (or week) after graduation. Here are nine things you can do right now:
1.) Start making contacts. Make a plan to meet four professionals each month and secure their business cards. That would mean about 25 contacts before June graduation. Take advantage of the PRSSA and other networks and meet professionals. Attend meetings, contact OSU PRSSA professional advisors, eat lunch with former comm students now working in the profession. When a job opens you want your contact to think of you so start meeting and making impressions now.
2.) Ask your contacts if you can have an “informational interview” with them. A regular interview is when a position is open and you are asked questions posed by the organization’s representative. In an informational interview you ask the questions, mostly, to seek advice, meet a contact, or learn about the company. It’s another opportunity to make contacts and make an impression. “Would you have 30 minutes to conduct an informational interview?” It’s that simple.
3.) Make sure your resumé is perfect now. Try not to use the Word templates. Accentuate your strengths. Have it reviewed by several people (a good way to keep in touch with contacts). (Sorry for the commercial interruption but the first PRSSA meeting this quarter is on How to Write a Resumé and Cover Letter, January 16, 6 p.m., in 1005 Smith Lab. Bring your laptop! Now back to our regularly-scheduled blog.) Your resumé will go through several drafts so make it perfect now.
4.) Draft several cover letters tailored to the positions you are seeking. Always, always, always include a cover letter with your resumé. Don’t even ask if it is required, just always, always, always include one. Think of your cover letter as a way to differentiate yourself from other candidates. Add skills in your cover letter that aren’t in your resumé. Have the letters reviewed by people you will call upon to help you find a job.
5.) Practice your interview skills now. There is a strategy to interviewing. Learn it! I have a list of the most common questions asked in a typical interview. Brainstorm concise, strategic (but truthful) answers and conduct mock interviews with friends, family, professors, dogs, anyone. Practice for an interview like you would study for an exam.
6.) Have a big picture plan about internships. Seek targeted internships now. Know what you lack in skills on your resumé and seek an internship where you gain those skills. Make a six-month plan. Check out this link to the Lantern about a former student. http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2008/01/04/Arts/Recent.Osu.Grad.Gets.Victoria.Secret.Dream.Job-3146230.shtml?reffeature=htmlemailedition
7.) Begin to assemble a portfolio. This shows what you have accomplished so employers know what they can expect of you. Focus on results. More to come in another blog.
8.) Begin to clean your Facebook page. Yes, professionals have ways to access Facebook and see more about you. (Do you think professionals want to hire “her,” the one with the glassy eyes, Bud Light bottle in hand, pretending to pucker up with her girlfriend, who has a lime wedge in her mouth, with three guys in the background making gang signs?)
9.) Also clean your voicemail message. (Hi guys. I’m chillin’ right now. Leave me one. BEEP.) Think about who is hiring you…it isn’t your 22-year-old friend, it’s likely an older person with different values and ideas on how to work and behave in the work place.
And if all else fails, according to the Dispatch article noted above, there WILL be hiring in some job categories. “There may be a growing need for debt collectors, repossession officers….” (Ugh!) Additionally since the home-mortgage market is in tatters, “there may be a need for more rental agents.” Sad but true.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
14 comments:
First off, maybe you should consider who was surveyed for the dispatch article; there may be a correlation between the executives that are taking the time to respond to a survey by a local paper and the downward spiral of their annual budget.
This is a great list, especially the facebook nod, which I have personally utilized as a hiring tool, even when I was a student myself hiring seasonal employees. It may sound petty, but if you aren’t mature enough to understand censoring your public image, many hiring managers won’t consider you a responsible candidate to work alongside those who do.
To this I would add:
BE PATIENT! When the time comes, don’t be afraid to take-on a part-time job for which you may be over-qualified if it means you’ll have the luxury of being selective in your job search. Don’t pull the trigger in a hurry just because your graduation date has come and gone.
And...be risky, if your line of work can afford it. I sent TONS of formal cover letters with no response. Finally, I sent an extremely-simplified, intriguing, almost-cocky cover letter. The increase in responses was overwhelming. However, this is obviously not for everyone. : )
Good luck! Oh, and relax: it's just your first job.
RE: #7 about putting together your portfolio -
This task is much harder than it seems. It took me a couple weeks to get mine together the way I wanted it.
I once interviewed with a creative staffing service and my interviewer said she will sometimes skip over people simply because their portfolios aren't put together in a professional manner.
People can tell when you've thrown it together the night before.
Treat your portfiolio as importantly as your resume, because it is.
This is all terrific advice! One thing I'd add about the portfolio is: don't be afraid to pull it out and ask your interviewer if he/she would like to see it. I was told several times in informational and formal interviews that the interviewer PURPOSELY doesn't ask to see portfolios. They wait for their interviewee to take it out and show the initiative.
To add to "konvo's" post about patience.... I had a long struggle after graduation. Internships that never materialized to jobs, part-time jobs that were miserable, full-time jobs that were miserable, etc. It took me over a year of ups and downs to get to where I am now, but nothing has ever been more worth the wait!
Good luck young Bucks!!
Something else upcoming graduates can consider is a post-grad internship. Many times these are paid although not as much as you would make in a salaried position.
However you can get great experience and make good contacts in the industry your interested in working in, and there is always the chance the position will turn into a full-time permanent job.
Another tip about portfolios: Go to Kinko's or Staples and have copies of your work samples bound in a "leave-behind" portfolio (the same kind of thing you would do for a report - spiral bound, clear cover and a nice cover page with your name, the date, and a line saying it was made for the company you're interviewing with that day).
This lets them know you care and shows you have taken an extra step for THEM, not just for another interview. It also speaks to your professionalism and presentation skills.
Keep in mind that how you represent yourself in an interview is how interviewers think you'll represent them to their clients, so details are important.
I love the new blog...very informative and very accurate...if
there is one thing I wish I had done before graduating, it was make
more contacts while still in school!
A tip regarding interviews: Remember to send a thank you card a few days after you speak with the interviewer. By doing this, not only do you show him/her that you appreciate the time they set aside to speak with you, it will help them to remember your name during the final decision-making process.
Hello Dan,
I picked up this blog in a Google alert. Very good comments. As a recent graduate-turned-employee, I can vouch for all of your recommendations.
Hope all is well at OSU,
Kevin Saghy
Be thoughtful when you answer your interview questions. I'd rather see someone sit and think for a moment when I ask a question, than stumble through and give a fluffy, cannned answer. And be prepared for the "Why should I hire you over someone else who has the same qualifications?" question. You may think you know the answer, but when you're in the middle of an interview, I've known people (myself :) to forget what's so great about me!
I would just like to stress the importance of the thank you letter. I had an interview that went pretty well, but ended bleakly because I lived too far away and would have to relocate for the position. He told me that he was going to make a decision by the end of the week. I waited two days and sent a very personal thank you letter via fax (only because of the time line - a letter via mail might not have made it) setting forth the a couple choice highlights of the interview, what I liked about the job, why I would be a good fit and I reiterated my intention to relocate if offered the job. Two hours later I received a job offer. Thank you, thank you letter!
On number 5: I definitely believe that one of the greatest reasons I received the jobs I have is because of how prepared I was when they began firing questions at me.
There is nothing like sitting in a room full of people whose sole purpose is to judge you on how well you articulate your thoughts, how confident you appear, and even if they feel you will fit in with their staff. And the intimidation alone can through you off your feet, let alone the questions they may ask.
To have practiced interview questions beforehand gave me a confidence I wouldn't have had and allowed me to give the answers I felt best expressed who I was and how I could relate to the job instead of the answers that came to me first!
I'd recommend making your Facebook and Myspace profiles private. Your friends should be the only ones that can view your site.
Employers can google your name as well. I'd recommend doing this to see what comes up. You never know what you might find.
A girl in my office was "let go" after she told everyone she was going to a funeral for the weekend, and status informed everyone she was going to the beach for spring break and booze.
I totally agree with #2. I got my current job from an informational interview. At the time of my interview they were not hiring. 3 weeks later they hired me as an intern, and a month later I was hired full-time. When I graduated I had over 30 informational interviews, making numerous contacts. So if you think it is not worth your time doing an informational interview, you are wrong! I am living proof that you can get a job from an informational interview. And of course all my success is thanks to Dan Steinberg.
Post a Comment